Can opener



1955 o. c. wlLuAMsoNFir AL 2,698,993

CAN OPENER Filed Jan. 11, 1954 INVENTOR.

Raymond/4. W/flzers BY Oscar C. W/llfamson United States Patent CAN OPENER Oscar C. Williamson, Redwood City, and Raymond A. Withers, Belmont, Calif.

Application January 11, 1954, Serial No. 403,152

1 Claim. (CI. -63) This invention relates to improvements in can openers and has particular reference to any type of can opener which will puncture a hole in the can and also furnish a pouring lip.

A further object is to produce a can opener which is easy to produce, a can opener which is easy to use and one which will support the can during the opening operation.

A further object is to produce a can opener which is particularly useful for cans holding liquids such as fruit juices and the like.

A further object is to produce a can opener which is readily foldable so as to be readily transportable.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like numbers are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. l is a side elevation of our can opener as the same would appear in use;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view showing the pouring spout formed by the punching and crimping element;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the can opener; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view the can only taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

The ordinary can opener merely punches a hole in the can and in so doing the contents of the can, when being poured, spill over the top edge and it is oftentimes diflicult to control the flow of the fluid.

Also, unless the hole is made very close to the edge, the fiuid issuing from the can will flow back over the top of the can.

Applicants have therefore devised a can opener which forms a pouring spout and at the same time holds the can in proper position whereby the cover may be punctured and crimped to form the spout.

Also with this improved can opener, cans of various sizes will be properly supported on the can opener, which is quite essential, particularly in holding small cans.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purice pose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of our invention, the numeral 5 designates a back member having hinged to the bottom thereof an extension 6 hinged as at 7. Hinged as at 8 to the top end thereof is a lever 9, which lever has a downwardly extending punching die 11 which is adapted to crimp the top edge of the can against a forming die 12. The back member has formed thereon a series of steps 13, 14 and 16, which serve to support cans of various sizes. As shown in Fig. l a small can, such as used for infants food, would have its bottom positioned on the step 13 so that the top edge of the can abuts die 12, with the result that when the lever 9 is moved downwardly, the punching die 11 will form a hole through the top 17 of the can (see Fig. 4) forming a downturned lip 18 and an outwardly pressed lip 19. A pin 21 will punch a hole in the top of the can, which hole will act as an air vent. In dotted lines I have shown the extension 6 folded upwardly and a large can held against the die 12 ready to be punched.

Thus it will be apparent that our can opener will handle cans of any size. When the parts of the can opener are folded as shown in Fig. 3, the can opener will take up a very small amount of room.

It is of course obvious that by providing holes in the back member the back member could be secured to a supporting surface, such as a wall, through the use of fastening screws.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

A can opener comprising a back member, a bottom extension hinged thereto, a lever hinged to the top of said back member, both of said hinged members being so arranged as to be substantially parallel with said back member when in folded position, said back member having a V-shaped die mounted at a point adjacent its upper end. said lever having a punching forming die secured thereto, said back member having steps formed thereon, said steps being arranged in upwardly and outwardly progression from the lower end of said back member whereby a can mounted on one of said steps will have its upper edge positioned against said V-shaped die, whereby said forming die will pierce the top of said can and press the side of said can against said V-shaped die to form a pouring spout.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,458,254 Cole Jan. 4, 1949 2,631,365 Geipel Mar. 17, 1953 

